LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The second annual Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards will be presented tonight at the Conga Room at L.A. Live, with Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Galaxy among the finalists.
Paul is a finalist for Sports Humanitarian of the Year for establishing a fund to annually provide two full-ride scholarships to his alma mater Wake Forest and for joining his foundation in opening three technology labs across the nation. One lab is at the newly refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Watts. The renovation is part of the $1 million commitment the foundation has made to Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation.
The other finalists are San Jose Sharks defensman Brent Burns, chosen for his efforts on behalf of veterans, active duty military members and families of injured and deceased military personnel; New York Liberty forward Tina Charles, who has donated half her WNBA salary the past two seasons to place automated external defibrillators in schools, recreation centers and other venues; and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap, for creating a program assisting underprivileged students with college entrance exams, college readiness skills, mentoring and job interview training.
The Galaxy is a finalist for Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year for its community service events last season. The other finalists are the Detroit Pistons for their support of a broad range of charitable programs; the San Francisco 49ers for seeking to improve science, technology, engineering and math education for children throughout the Bay Area; and San Francisco Giants for the Junior Giants program, which is designed to reduce crime and build life skills.
Both the winner of the Sports Humanitarian of the Year and Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year will direct a $100,000 grant from ESPN to the qualified charity related to the award-winning humanitarian efforts. The other finalists will each be able to direct a $25,000 grant.
The ceremony will also celebrate the three winners of the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, which recognize anyone working in sports who has taken risks and used an innovative approach to helping the disadvantaged through the power of sports. The winners are tennis legend Billie Jean King, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the 2015 Missouri football team, which announced it would boycott a game in an effort to force the resignation of University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe. The award is named for the longtime “SportsCenter” anchor who died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 49.
The recipients of the League Humanitarian Award and Corporate Community Impact Award will also be announced.
The finalists and winners in all categories were determined by an independent selection committee
The ceremony honoring individuals, teams, leagues and other members of the sports community who use the power of sport to make a positive impact on society will be hosted for the second consecutive year by television personality Laila Ali, the daughter of the late Muhammad Ali. Singer-songwriter Andra Day will perform.
Highlights of the ceremony will be featured during a 30-minute special on ESPN airing Friday.
Net proceeds of the event will benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at The V Foundation.
